respectively to the three perfons taken in the ufual order of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. The Father is the author of blessing and prefervation. Grace and illumination are from the Son, by whom we have the light of the knowlege of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift. Peace is the gift of the Spirit, whose name is the Comforter, and whose first and best fruit is the work of Peace.

Petrus Alphonfi, an eminent Jew converted in the beginning of the 12th Century, and prefented to the font by Alphonfus a king of Spain, wrote a learned treatise against the Jews, wherein he preffes them with this Scripture, as a plain argument that there are three perfons to whom the great and incommunicable name of Jehovah is applied. And even the unconverted Jews, according to Bechai, one of their Rabbies, have a tradition, that when the high Priest pronounced this Bleffing over the people—elevatione manuum fic digitos compofuit, ut Triada exprimerent - be lifted up his hands, and disposed his fingers into fuch a form as to express a Trinity. All the foundation there is for this in the Scripture, is Lev. IX. 22. as for the reft, be it a matter of fact or not, yet if we confider whence it comes, there is fomething very remarkable in it. See Obferv, Jof. de poif. in Pug. Fid.

Math. XXVIII. 19. Baptizing them in the name of the FATHER, and of the SON, and of the HOLY GHOST.

XVI.

2 Thef. III. 5. The LORD (the Holy Ghoft, fee c. 2. art. 4. 18.) direct your hearts into the love of GOD (The Father) and into the patient waiting for

CHRIST.

2 Cor. XIII. 14.

XVII.

The grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the love of God, and the communion of the HOLY

GHOST.

In this and the foregoing article, the order of the perfons is different from that of Matth. 28. 19. The Holy Ghost having the first place in the former of them, and Chrift in the latter: Which is a fufficient warrant for that clause in

the

the Creed of St. Athanafius- -"In this Trinity, "none is afore or after other." And Dr. Clarke, I prefume, apprehended something of this fort; because he has corrected the Apostle, and tranfpofed the order of the perfons in 2 Cor. 13. 14. without the least apology, or giving his reader any warning of it. §. LV. p. 377.

XVIII.

1 John V. 7. There are THREE that bear record in heaven, the FATher, the WORD and the HOLY GHOST

There has been much difputing about the authenticity of this Text. I firmly believe it to be genuine for the following reafons. 1. St. Jerom, who had a better opportunity of examining the true merits of the cause than we can poffibly have at this distance of time, tells us plainly, that he found out how it had been adulterated, mistranslated, and omitted on purpose to elude the truth. 2. The Divines of Lovain having compared many Latin copies, found this text wanting but in five of them; and R. Stephens found it retained in nine of fixteen ancient manuscripts which he used. 3. It is certainly quoa Præf. ad Canon. Epift.

ted

ted twice by St. Cyprian, who wrote before the council of Nice: and alfo by Tertullian; as the reader is left to judge after he has read the Paffage in the Margin. Dr. Clarke therefore is not to be believed when he tells us, it was "never "cited by any of the Latins before St. Je"rom." 4. The Sense is not perfect without it; there being a contraft of three witnesses in heaven, to three upon earth; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft, whofe testimony is called the witness of God; and the Spirit, the water, and the blood, which being adminiftred by the Church upon earth, is called the witness of men. He that defires to fee this text farther vindicated from the malice of Fauftus Socinus, may confult Poles Synopfis, and Dr. Hammond.

But even allowing it to be fpurious, it contains nothing but what is abundantly afferted elsewhere; and that both with regard to the Trinity in general, and this their divine Teftimony in particular. For that there are three divine perfons who bear record to the Miffion of Chrift, is evident from the following Scriptures.

a De Unit. Eccl. 109. Epift. LXXIII.

b Connexus patris in filio, & filii in paracleto, tres efficit cohærentes, alterum ex altero; qui tres unum funt &c. adv. Prax. c See the text in his 2d Edition.

John

John VIII. 17, 18. The teftimony of two men is

true.

I am ONE that bear witness of MYSELF.
The FATHER that sent me beareth witness of me.

ven.

-

1 John V. 6. It is the SPIRIT that beareth witness. And Christ has also mentioned, upon another occafion, a plurality of witneffes in heaWE Speak (fays he) that we do know, and teftifie that we have feen, and ye receive not OUR witness! which can be no other than the witness of the Trinity; because it is added — no man hath afcended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven; therefore no man could join with Christ in revealing the things of heaven to

us.

XIX.

Ifa. VI. 3. And one cried unto another and faid, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the LORD OF HOSTS. See alfo Rev. 4. 8.

They are not content (fays Origen) to say it once or twice; but take the perfect number of "the Trinity, thereby to declare the manifold bo"liness of God; which is a repeated intercom"munion of a threefold holiness; the holiness of

a John III. 11.

the